Monthly Archives: July 2014

Have you seen these Lego scenes as captured by Canadian photographer Jeff Friesen? He has done a “brick tour” in his new coffee table book of all 50 states in the U.S. Take a sneak peek! I would love to see this extended to the U.K.

I always wanted to visit the Waterlily House in Kew Gardens but still haven’t been.

I liked Time Out London’s collection of 101 things to do in London – and the quiz that accompanied it, based on a list of destinations under Museums, Galleries, Parks, Shopping, etc.

But sadly, I only scored 29. 29?! Yep. It seems that when we lived there, we never did go to the Globe or the Royal Opera House, the London Zoo or the Science Museum. We did hit most of the parks, but were pretty light on the eating and drinking spots that they listed (to be fair, many of these didn’t exist back when we were living in London). And so it goes …

I’m always on the hunt for sweet and inexpensive wall art for my kids’ rooms and stumbled upon Land of Nod, which currently has some great decor with some British flavor (and also a great blog for inspiration, Honest to Nod).

Check out their personalized wall art ($129), featuring Big Ben and double decker buses, which can be personalized with your child’s name.

I also loved their Lately Lily London quilt ($189), with an appliquéd and embroidered London scene, which would work perfectly with … their Lately Lily London bedding set!

London’s benches are becoming open books this summer, thanks to Britain’s National Literacy Trust, which has brought 50 new sculptures into the city, with help from public art promoter Wild in Art. Each bench celebrates a different story, ranging from C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” to Julia Davidson’s “The Gruffalo,” Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass” to J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan.”

As you may know I occasionally report on the activities of my Anglophile group, cleverly named Anglophiles United. This week a large contingent of our membership hit the road in hopes of experiencing an authentic British pub quiz. This outing was educational in scope and the fact that alcohol was freely available had nothing to do with our healthy turnout…

We gathered at an establishment with a name designed to avoid any confusion about its purpose or mission, The Pub. This American franchise concentrated in the Midwest and Southeast is to the the public house what mock Tudor housing developments are to historical stately homes. The serving staff wear kilt-ish uniforms, in addition to ales and whiskey they serve American cocktails like martinis and Manhattans, and they are located in an upscale shopping mall complex. To be fair they don’t…

This weekend, we watched “Begin Again” with Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo. I hadn’t heard much of anything about the movie, apart from the fact that it was written and directed by John Carney behind “Once,” but fancied getting lost in a movie in the big screen for a couple of hours and am so glad we went.

It was lovely, with a great cast of British (Keira Knightley, James Corden) and American actors (Catherine Keener, Adam Levine), set in New York City. I dare say I enjoyed it more than “Once” and again, John Carney makes a convincing argument that a song can save your life. The soundtrack is playing on repeat at home.

Erin Moore and her husband, Tom, have spent the last seven years in London, where they live with their four-year-old daughter Anne—and another baby on the way.

I liked this Cup of Jo post by Erin Moore, an American, on the 15 surprising things about parenting in England. I became a mom after we moved back to the states so am intrigued by the cultural differences. Particularly the differences on compliments, on never bragging and on drinking (even at an under-fives birthday party at 10 a.m. on a Sunday! Love it!). Read on.

Sorry for the radio silence! It’s been a crazy few weeks both at work and at home, but a lot of fun! My parents came to visit, I celebrated my birthday and spent four blissful days visiting New York City with my husband. Highlights included lunch at Jean Georges, front row seats at “Bullets over Broadway,” and seeing some great stand-up at the Comedy Cellar (including a surprise set from Ray Romano).

How was your 4th of July? I hope it was safe and enjoyable!

Speaking of 4th of July, Boden started its summer sale, with up to 50 percent off of items. I bought a Sorrento swimsuit, which was regularly $88, on sale for $70.